Guidelines for Thesis and Dissertation Formatting
The following format guidelines are intended to help you prepare your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation and should be used in conjunction with the specific style adopted by your academic program. It is your responsibility to conform to the following format requirements and ensure that your manuscript’s presentation is of the highest quality. Because requirements may change over time, students should not use existing library or departmental copies of manuscripts as examples of proper format.
For any questions, please contact the Manuscript Coordinators at manuscripts1@unm.edu.
NEW accessibility requirements for manuscripts starting for Summer 2026 graduates. Please see Accessibility Requirements section below.
Note: Paid editing and/or formatting services are available from people not employed by the Graduate Studies office. Check the bulletin board located outside the Manuscript Coordinator’s office at Graduate Studies, Dane Smith Hall, Room 217, for listings.
General Regulations | |
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Rights of the Author and the University:Your graduate unit has the right to require that you provide them with a copy of your thesis or dissertation, and that certain original records and materials be retained as the property of the University. Publication rights to the thesis or dissertation are reserved to you as the author. Deadline DatesThe final version of your thesis or dissertation, including accompanying forms, must be submitted to Graduate Studies by:
Please refer to the Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Submission section for to submit. Writing a Thesis or Dissertation in a Language Other than EnglishWith approval of your committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies, a manuscript may be written in a language other than English. An abstract in English must be included. CopyrightsRegistering Your CopyrightCopyright is automatic. Registration is optional (through ProQuest or the U.S. Copyright Office). Including Copyrighted MaterialYou must obtain written permission to include copyrighted material beyond brief excerpts. | |
Preparing Your Manuscript | |
FormatPages must be 8.5" x 11". MarginsLeft: 1.25–1.5 in; Top/Right/Bottom: 1 in. Page NumbersRoman numerals for front matter; restart with Arabic numerals for body. Type & Font12 pt, double-spaced, single-sided. Arial, Times, Courier, Helvetica. SectionsFront Matter, Body of Research, Reference Matter. | |
Style | |
The formatting requirements below apply to all manuscripts; however, please refer to your discipline’s style guide for more detailed formatting requirements. Your manuscript needs to follow the formatting guidance of your chosen style guide. The following front matter sections, however, must follow university guidelines:
Manuscripts must maintain consistent formatting throughout the entire document (font, spacing, margins, placement and style of headers and sub headers, and all other formatting details). Please note that Manuscript Coordinators do not provide explicit guidance on style guide conventions and only check for consistency throughout the document. For questions related to style guide conventions and resources, please contact your committee chair and/or the Center for Teaching and Learning. | |
Front Matter | |
Title PageIncludes title, name, degrees, degree to be awarded, graduation date. Dedication, Acknowledgement, Abstract, TOC, Lists, PrefaceAll sequential Roman numerals. Abstract max 150 words. | |
Body of Research | |
Begins with page "1" in Arabic numerals. Each chapter starts on a new page. FiguresInserted near related text, numbered consecutively, captions on same page. TablesPlaced consistently, may span pages, oversized treated like figures. | |
Reference Matter | |
AppendicesFollow main text. Must be listed in TOC. ReferencesFull listing of cited sources. Usually alphabetical. | |
Formatting Aids | |
MS Word TemplateAvailable at Templates. | |
Common Problems | |
Common reasons manuscripts are returned: Front MatterMust exactly match examples, including numbering. MarginsLeft: 1.25–1.5 in; others 1 in. Landscape Figures/TablesMargins and page numbers must be consistent. TOC & HeadingsAll headings at each level must match in TOC and body. | |
Accessibility Requirements (beginning for Summer 2026 graduates) | |
| Attention Summer 2026 and Fall 2026 graduates: Effective April 26, 2026, Graduate Studies requires thesis and dissertation manuscripts to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). Students must check that their manuscript passes accessibility requirements in Adobe Acrobat prior to submitting their manuscript to the Digital Repository and/or ProQuest (PhD only). Please refer to our Manuscript Accessibility Check Instructions for guidance to check accessibility in Adobe Acrobat. Upcoming Graduate Studies manuscript workshops will discuss all formatting manuscript formatting requirements, including checking for accessibility. All graduate students who are working on their thesis or dissertation are encouraged to attend. To learn more about creating accessible content, please visit Digital Accessibility Resources from the Center for Teaching & Learning or the WCAG 2.1 web standard. | |
Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Submission | |
Please submit all manuscript forms on the Manuscript Form Submission Portal. You will need these forms: Information Cover Sheet PDF Electronic ETD Release Form PDF Certificate of Final Form for Manuscripts PDF Embargo Restriction Request(if embargo is needed) PDF Survey of Earned Doctorates (excluding MFA/EDD) PDF | |
